Mikaela Shiffrin reacts after qualifying for the second run in giant slalom on Lower Ruthie's Run at the Nature Valley Aspen Winternational Audi FIS Ski World Cup at Aspen Mountain in Aspen on Saturday, Nov. 24, 2012. Shiffrin, 17, lives and trains in Vail.

ASPEN — Vail’s Lindsey Vonn and Eagle-Vail’s Mikaela Shiffrin did very well in the first run of Saturday’s World Cup giant slalom here.

Having lost some cardiovascular fitness this month because of an intestinal illness that put her in the hospital for two nights, Vonn still finished 10th in the first run. Shiffrin was 18th in just her seventh World Cup GS start, qualifying her for the second run for the second time in that discipline.

“I thought I skied really well,” Vonn said. “I came out attacking, especially the top and the flats. There was a compression delay on the bottom and I just stumped out — my legs just gave out on me. I used pretty much every last ounce of energy to pull out of that mistake, and the last 10 gates or so I just struggled to make it down and lost quite a bit of time.

“Considering everything, I thought it was a great run. I’m still very much in contention for a podium finish today. All things considered, I have to be really happy with it.”

Shiffrin, 17, has had two podium appearances in 12 World Cup slalom starts. To qualify for a second run in just her seventh GS start is another promising step in her development, well ahead of most racers her age. In the season’s first GS last month in Soelden, Austria, she came agonizingly close, missing the second run by .01 of a second.

She has found a key for her is trying to race the way she trains, rather than trying to do more. She did that in the season’s first slalom race this month in Levi, Finland, and finished third.

“Soelden was so disappointing because during my run I was thinking, ‘What am I doing, this isn’t my training skiing? Why am I separating this race so much from training? I know how to ski, what am I doing?’ I got to the finish and I was like, ‘I don’t even deserve a second run.’ This race, I took that mentality I had going into Levi, just get my skis over on edge, get on my outside ski and rip it. Treat it like a training run, see how fast I can go. I’m starting to know what GS feels like.”

The second run is scheduled for 1:15 p.m.

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